Page 41 - BR July 2024

July 2024 July 2024

INTERESTING LIVES ‘picked’ from the shelf and checked to ensure it is matches the details on
the FP10, that it is in date and is the correct formulation (tablet/liquid/
capsule etc). The medicines then have the appropriate labels attached
One of the more memorable occasions since we and are put into a basket with the prescription slip for their 2 check. If a
nd
moved to the old mill at Briantspuddle was held particular medication is unavailable then this is either marked as ‘owing’ for
one evening at the Village Hall. Singer-songwriter issue at a later date or if it is out of stock from our suppliers (an increasingly
and actor Tim Laycock presented ‘The Year common problem) a message is left for the Dr or Pharmacist to consider an
Clock’, his one-man dramatic and musical alternative strength/formulation or even an equivalent but different
celebration of the life and poetry of William medicine.
Barnes. It was a powerful introduction to the
poet’s positive appreciation of the county. For a 5. Once the medication has been checked for a second time by a dispenser
couple of hours the audience, aided by the to ensure the correct medication has been ‘picked’, labelled and added
sound of a slow ticking clock, was gently to the basket it is countersigned and placed into a bag and then onto a
transported back to a slower age. In Barnes’ more thoughtful time, the county’s numbered shelf ready for collection. The prescription slip is filed
rhythm was determined more by the seasons than the clock. alphabetically with details of which shelf the medication is located and
added to a list for the reception team to contact via text message to
I am privileged to have a 21 century sense of that contrast as my wife Julia, and I inform that it is ready for collection.
st
divide our time between the manic pace of London and the welcome peace of
Dorset. This is a county we know well as Julia’s ancestors hail from Portland, 6. When a patient comes to collect their medication having received a text
Mappowder and Turnworth, not forgetting that her family have lived opposite the message their details are checked, their prescription slip found, and their
Village Hall for the best part of a century! medication located on the shelf and handed out.
One day, in my capacity as His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, I As you can see this process is quite labour intensive with numerous ‘checks’ along
might find myself ‘in full fig’ attending The King and Queen at an official function, the way to ensure the right medications are given to the right patients with the
and the next in a deck chair in our garden watching trout leaping to catch a correct directions on them. This is why it takes a minimum of 3 WORKING days to
mayfly that has carelessly flown too close to the River Piddle’s surface! process a repeat medication request.
Or perhaps, as High Bailiff (and Searcher of the Sanctuary) of Westminster Abbey, Currently we dispense around 7000 items a month which is around 1750 items a
I might be standing one morning by the Great West Door of that most remarkable week or 350 items a day! You can understand that along with dealing with
repository of our Nation’s history, and that evening breathing in the Dorset air as I dispensary queries, ordering stock, managing our controlled drug register and
step off the train at Wool station. tracking down alternatives for out of stock medication that even a minor problem
such as a member of staff being sick or a bank holiday can have quite a large
The $64,000 question is how did a native of Nottingham, born just six years after knock on effect on the speed and safety at which we can process prescriptions.
the end of WWII to an English mother (abandoned by her Nigerian husband) end
up splitting his time between a house in the capital and an 18 century cottage We are looking at the use of technology to try and streamline the above process.
th
in the picturesque parish of Affpuddle and Turnerspuddle? We are hoping we are able to put changes in place over the next few months to
improve our efficiency and safety. In the meantime there are a number of things
And the answer is – by a circuitous route and aided by a great deal of luck. A patients can do to help us to keep everything running as smoothly as possible.
reminder of how fortunate we are to live in this country where so much is possible.
1. Only order what you need rather than simply ‘ticking every box’ on your
My good fortune starts, of course, with a mother’s love. Although we were pretty repeat list as this avoids not only extra work for our dispensers but prevents
poor (no TV, phone, fridge or indoor toilet!) I was blissfully unaware of the need to medication being wasted
feel sorry for myself and enjoyed a kind of boyhood which had more in common
with Richmal Compton’s Just William than with Dicken’s Oliver Twist! My friends 2. Remember that it takes a minimum of 3 WORKING days to process a
and I played on the local bomb site, swapped tales from the Dandy and Beano prescription (e.g Monday-Friday). Therefore if a repeat is requested on a
and eagerly awaited the annual arrivals of Billy Smart’s Circus and Goose Fair. Friday the earliest it will be ready is the following Wednesday as our team
do not work at weekends.

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